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Edina Gallovits-Hall watches on as Serena Williams lays on the court after falling in her first round match during day two of the 2013 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Jan. 15, 2013 in Melbourne, Australia.
The Associated Press reports — Serena Williams tumbled to the court and needed a medical timeout in the first set for treatment on her right ankle. Once she got up, it was all over for Edina Gallovits-Hall.
Williams routed Gallovits-Hall 6-0, 6-0 in the first round of the Australian Open on Tuesday despite the scary sequence in the first part of the match. Read the full story.
Jim Seida / msnbc.com
Bill Briggs puts leg braces on his daughter Andrea Briggs in Denver, Colo, May 10.
I recently had the privilege of spending time with Andrea Briggs and her family while working on a story about Andrea’s recovery from a traumatic brain injury. Briggs was critically injured in a car accident on July 26, 2011, while she and a friend were driving to an ice cream store. What I originally thought was going to be a health story was, in fact, a story about love. Watch the video below to meet Andrea, her parents, and to see their remarkable story.
Two parents help their daughter re-learn how to live, from walking to talking, after she suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car accident.
Bringing Andrea back from brain injury: a father's story
Jim Seida / msnbc.com
Andrea Briggs grimaces in pain while her father times her physical therapy session at Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colo, Friday, April 27.
William West / AFP - Getty Images
Serena Williams cries out after injuring her ankle during her second round women's singles match against Bojana Jovanovski of Serbia at the Brisbane International tennis tournament on Jan. 4, 2012.
Reuters reports:
Serena Williams twisted her left ankle late in her second round match against Serbia's Bojana Jovanovski and needed about 10 minutes of treatment, including having her ankle restrapped, before she went on to secure a 6-2 6-4 victory.
The American had scans on the ankle later on Wednesday, which confirmed she would need to withdraw from the tournament.
"I'm still hopeful of playing the Australian Open," Williams said.
The first grand slam tournament of the season starts on January 16. Read the full story.
According to this article by msnbc.com’s Melissa Dahl, “Cheerleading — not basketball, not softball, not even field hockey or ice hockey — is by far the most dangerous sport for girls . Cheer accounts for 65 percent of all catastrophic injuries in girls’ high school athletics.” Be sure to also watch the video below by msnbc.com's Carissa Ray about a young cheerleader who broke her neck and is now a quadriplegic.
Amy Sancetta / AP
Male cheerleaders from Bowling Green toss their female counterparts into the air as their team took on Western Michigan in an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament on Thursday, March 10.
In case you're wondering, the tattoo on the arm of the guy in the middle reads: “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love.” —1 Corinthians 16:13-14
With cheerleading stunts getting more daring, devastating injuries are increasing. Laura Jackson broke her neck while attempting a back tuck at cheer tryouts. She's now a quadriplegic, adjusting to a new life on the sidelines. Msnbc.com's Carissa Ray reports.
Pfc. Kevin Macari used his MySpace blog to keep track of what he was seeing and feeling while serving in the Army. Below are some excerpts:
Louie Palu / Alexia Foundation via Zuma Press
Pfc. Kevin Macari, who lost his leg to a landmine explosion in the Arghandab District of Kandahar, Afghanistan, looks at a photo of his fiancée while being evacuated in a U.S. Army medevac helicopter, Sept. 28, 2010. Macari asked photojournalist Louie Palu to hold his hand during the helicopter ride. “It was a hard day,” said Palu.
On June 25, 2010, Kevin Macari wrote:
“I can’t get the blood out from under my fingernails. I’m sick of breathing in dirt, and I miss my fiancee….”
On Aug. 5, 2010, Kevin Macari wrote:
“I’m honestly so sick of doing some of the ______— _— ___— I’ve had to do and see that I just wanna come home and live the rest of my l..."
On Oct 7, 2010, Kevin Macari wrote:
"Hey jessica. I'm back home now, but not for anything good. I got my left leg blown off in Afghan. I'm okay but just figured id drop you a line..."
Macari was injured while serving in Kandahar, Afghanistan. He lost his spleen and his leg below the knee in the initial landmine injury. His father, Thomas Macari Jr., says Kevin is recovering in the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.
“He has been fighting an infection by his knee which he was told if it reaches the bone they would have to take his leg above the knee. That thought was devastating to him. The good news is that the infection is getting better,” said Thomas.
His father says Kevin’s spirits are on an emotional rollercoaster ride. “Some days he is his old self, happy, joking and laughing. Other days he is withdrawn, and he doesn’t want to talk.”
Thomas says, “Kevin is not sure what his future will bring as to staying in the Army, but that decision is well down the road. Right now his job in the Army is recovery.”
Kevin misses the guys in his unit who are still in Afghanistan, but he is able to keep in touch by using the Internet, says Thomas.
In September, The Atlantic published a slideshow of photographer Louie Palu's coverage of IEDs in Afghanistan. You can see it here.
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